We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. That's why we've put together The Week's Best. Here are some of the highlights produced in English by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
'That's My Daughter': Father Cries As He Sits Next To Her Body After Russian Attack
A Ukrainian father is grieving the death of his daughter after Russian shelling of a roadside store killed four people in a frontline village in the eastern Donetsk region. Current Time correspondent Andriy Kuzakov reports from Yasenove, which lies south of the strategic city of Pokrovsk. By Current Time and Andriy Kuzakov
'Treated Like Criminals': Iran Intensifies Deportation Of Afghans
Iran has intensified its deportation of refugees and migrants from neighboring Afghanistan. The rate of deportations has increased as anti-Afghan sentiment soars in the Islamic republic. By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and Kian Sharifi
Master Of Puppets Boosts Ukrainian Military Morale
Ukrainian soldiers are being treated to puppet shows to boost their morale. Valeriy Dzekh ran a popular puppet theater in Kharkiv before the war, and is now performing a new play about a man who loses and then regains his self-confidence. By Borys Salchalko, Current Time, and Ray Furlong
Kyrgyzstan's Femicide Trend Continues Amid Social And Political Indifference
The cases of three Kyrgyz women who suffered horrific deaths at the hands of their partners are being tried in court. As the country's appalling femicide trend continues, the political will to stop it is lacking, while civil society no longer has the same space to campaign against domestic violence. By Kanymgul Elkeeva and Chris Rickleton
Kosovo At The Center Of Europe's Ongoing Hijab Debate
The wearing of the traditional Muslim head scarf has divided Europe for years. The latest battleground is Kosovo, where a female student has been suspended from her high school for refusing to remove her hijab. By Bekim Bislimi
Georgian Rural Voters Care More About Grape Prices Than Geopolitics
Georgia's opposition is framing October's critical parliamentary elections as a vote between the West and Russia. But that message may not resonate in rural areas, where Georgians are much more likely to worry about day-to-day economic issues than the country's geopolitical orientation. By Joshua Kucera
Russians With Bandsaws: Exiles Carve Out Carpentry Careers In Finland
Some of the thousands of Russians who have poured into Finland since the war on Ukraine was launched in 2022 are learning a new profession: carpentry. Finland is facing a shortage of qualified labor and aims to double its population of working immigrants by 2030. But the Nordic country has also targeted Russian exiles and closed its border in response to waves of people trying to escape an economy hobbled by sanctions. The JEDU training center in Kalajoki has enrolled mainly Russians. They asked that their identities be withheld while talking to Current Time. By Current Time, Andrey Shilov, and Will Tizard
Taliban Tourism 'Distorting The Truth' In Afghanistan
The Taliban is trying to woo foreign tourists to visit Afghanistan. The militant group, which seized power in 2021, is coming to boost its image. Even as it aims to lure foreigners, the Taliban’s restrictions on women have stifled local tourism. By Abubakar Siddique and Frishta Sahak
Rubbish Above Rooftops In A Serbian Town As Landfills Overflow
Landfills on the outskirts of cities, whether illegal or poorly managed, are a widespread phenomenon in Serbia. Local residents and experts say they contaminate water supplies and cause fires, and they want them shut down. By Nevena Bogdanovic and Slaven Miljus
The Last Fishermen Of Kazakhstan's Aral Sea
Life in the Kazakh village where what remains of the Aral Sea still supports a tiny fishing industry and the families that depend on it. By Petr Trotsenko
